Chapter 169

In the activity room of the Economics Department, a group of students preparing for the New Year's Eve party are happily rehearsing.

Actually, a small class party is just for self-entertainment; there isn't much pressure. Everyone is playing around happily, which is a far cry from the "must take it seriously" emphasized by the class committee.

Li Ye wrote a short sketch script, divided it into several parts according to the roles, and handed them to the class monitor, Zhen Seeing Zhen Rongrong, and the youngest member, Sun Sun Xianjin.

Sun Sun Xianjin got the script early and has read it completely by now, but the more he pondered it, the more uncomfortable he felt. His rather upright face was twisted into the shape of a shoehorn.

"Brother, my brother, you've made me look too ugly. You have to change it for me; change it into a character with a positive image."

"Where is this character image ugly?"

Li Ye said with a straight face: "Asking you to wear a small cotton hat crookedly and wear a small cotton jacket is a requirement of the program. Why are you acting so vain?"

"I'm not complaining that the clothes are ugly. I wouldn't even be afraid if you asked me to go on stage shirtless, but how can I use my cleverness to get free noodles from the fellow villagers?"

Sun Sun Xianjin said anxiously: "Look at the lines you wrote. I didn't eat the first bowl of noodles... I exchanged the second bowl for the first... Why shouldn't I pay? Isn't this a cunning bad element?"

The "situational short play" Li Ye wrote is actually the famous "Sea Cucumber Fried Noodles" from decades later.

And Sun Sun Xianjin, whose hometown accent is extremely fitting, was indisputably designated by Li Ye as the "protagonist" who eats the noodles.

As for the other roles, Li Ye could only let Zhen Seeing Zhen Rongrong worry about mobilizing people. The other characters in this sketch are teased by the protagonist for a long time, and Li Ye is worried that a bunch of proud high-achieving students won't be willing to perform.

But Li Ye didn't expect that he had kindly designated Sun Sun Xianjin as the "protagonist" and arranged such a large part for him, yet he wasn't happy about it.

Li Ye suppressed a laugh and taught him earnestly: "Youngest, you have to look at problems with an objective eye. Although we are just performing a short play in class, this is also art.

Art requires actors to dedicate themselves. You are playing a comedic role, which is to provide joy to everyone.

Besides, what kind of clown is this? If you say that, then no one would play the bad elements in movies?"

Sun Sun Xianjin was full of grievances, looking worried for a good while, but still said stubbornly: "No, Brother, the script you wrote is too... are you playing around?"

"Slap~"

"It's you. You have to do it whether you want to or not."

Hearing Sun Sun Xianjin's "Are you playing around?", Li Ye immediately slapped the table.

That's the flavor!

Looking at Sun Sun Xianjin's medium height and listening to his tone full of resentment, Li Ye felt that he had hit the mark by accident and had indeed found the right person.

However, Li Ye's slap on the table attracted the side-eyes of everyone around, and the class teacher, Mu Mu Yunning, who had just entered from the door, squinted her eyes at Li Ye even more.

"Li Ye, you've just joined the class committee, and you're already throwing your weight around with your classmates? 'You have to do it whether you want to or not'? Do you need me to give you a lesson on ideological and moral education?"

"It's not like that, Teacher Mu," Li Ye said calmly, not intimidated by Mu Mu Yunning's severity. "Sun Sun Xianjin has some misunderstandings about his role, and I am explaining the reasoning behind it to him."

"Heh, then I'd like to hear your reasoning."

Mu Mu Yunning sat down opposite Li Ye, waiting quietly for Li Ye's explanation.

Li Ye didn't explain anything, but handed the script to Mu Mu Yunning: "Teacher, please look at the script first. Sun Sun Xianjin says the customer eating the noodles is too cunning and doesn't want to play it. I don't think there's any problem."

Mu Mu Yunning glanced at Li Ye and took the script to read it carefully.

A moment later, she asked Li Ye curiously: "How did you know that some students from the school encountered fraud by unscrupulous merchants at the train station when they went home this year?"

Li Ye naturally didn't know, but he said calmly: "I just see that the streets are a bit chaotic now, so I wrote a script casually. But it ends with a well-intentioned misunderstanding. There are still more good people in this world."

The environment at the end of '82 indeed had some small flaws. Honest people were still the majority, but cunning people were really not rare anymore.

It was not uncommon for out-of-towners to be overcharged for meals or for long-distance drivers to be extorted ten yuan for a tire repair.

The people around were astonished, and Sun Sun Xianjin felt even more self-reproachful. Li Ye had written a script reflecting reality and had painstakingly explained so much to him, yet he had thought wrongly. It was truly inappropriate.

Mu Mu Yunning thought for a moment and said: "Then let's rehearse it now to see the effect. Who are the actors for this short play?"

Li Ye pushed Sun Sun Xianjin out. Mu Mu Yunning had originally selected a few people who were "backward elements" unwilling to sign up for programs, and together with herself, they made five people.

Li Ye expressed deep concern about the performance of these people. They were all shy and awkward; where was their talent for comedy!

Sure enough, after the rehearsal started, the five people had all sorts of problems, either forgetting their lines or breaking character.

But it was this silly performance that just happened to achieve a "nonsensical" effect, making everyone laugh out loud.

Especially Sun Sun Xianjin's hometown accent, which was full of stumbling humor, won the laughter and applause of many classmates.

Mu Mu Yunning, who was usually calm and composed, could hold it in at first, but later she also laughed unrestrainedly, her shoulders shaking.

Li Ye looked at the boys in the class and indeed saw unusual expressions. He didn't know if everyone would have any regrets many years later.

After Sun Sun Xianjin and the others finished a difficult rehearsal, Mu Mu Yunning made the final decision.

"This short play is quite good. You should familiarize yourselves with it as soon as possible and participate in the selection for the school's New Year's Eve party."

Sun Sun Xianjin and the others were stunned. The school party requires performing in the school auditorium in front of so many people; just thinking about it made their legs go weak.

But thinking about it carefully, weren't they also excited?

After the rehearsal ended that day, Sun Sun Xianjin walked toward the cafeteria with Li Ye, reciting his lines as he walked.

"Where's the sea cucumber? Did you eat it?"

"Are you playing around?"

Li Ye suddenly patted the little brother on the shoulder and gestured toward the front.

Sun Sun Xianjin immediately saw Bian Bian Jingjing.

Bian Bian Jingjing is really too tall, at one meter seventy-five, taller than most boys these days. It's hard not to notice her.

"Youngest! I've created an opportunity for you. Whether you succeed or not depends on yourself. As your brother, this is all I can do to help you."

Sun Sun Xianjin asked in confusion: "What opportunity? What did you help me with, Brother?"

Li Ye said: "Didn't I create an opportunity for you to perform at the school party?"

Sun Sun Xianjin nodded and said: "Although it's not certain yet, I feel that our situational short play is better than those English short plays. It should... be selected, right?"

In the early eighties, English was the undisputed "king of popularity." Many departments and classes at Jingda had rehearsed various English plays and held various competitions.

From the perspective of later generations, one might not understand, but if you look at movies from the early eighties, you might understand.

In urban movies of this time, if you want to highlight the excellence of the male lead, you let him learn English and speak English.

Li Ye once watched an old movie, the name of which he forgot. The plot was a standard story of a poor boy chasing a rich girl.

The poor boy just copied a few English sentences from a book in the professor's hand in the library, then started chatting, was appreciated, and finally won the heart of the professor's daughter.

This in itself was nothing, but after the male lead chased the girl, he said something to the sanitation workers and ordinary people on the street that Li Ye couldn't understand at all—"Look, how worthless these people's time is!"

And at the end of the movie, the poor boy carried a radio device he assembled himself and climbed to the top of the mountain on a rainy night to "call the alien," which didn't leave a good impression on Li Ye.

With the general environment like this, English plays at this time must have a popularity bonus. Sun Sun Xianjin actually didn't have full confidence in whether the Economics Department's *Sea Cucumber Fried Noodles* could be selected.

"Believe me, it will definitely be selected," Li Ye said firmly. "When the time comes, you invite Bian Bian Jingjing to watch your performance, and then discuss comedy..."

Sun Sun Xianjin scratched his head and said: "Brother, is what you said going to work or not? What if she thinks I'm not steady?"

"."

Li Ye was speechless for a few seconds and had to ask: "Youngest, what kind of boy do you think is most popular with girls?"

Sun Sun Xianjin stared at Li Ye for a long time, his expression as awkward as it could be.

"Brother, I know you look good, and I know you are popular with girls, but can you stop showing off in front of your younger brother? I already admit it in my heart; do you have to make me praise you a couple of times?"

"Am I that vulgar?"

Li Ye scolded with a laugh and stopped beating around the bush with Sun Sun Xianjin, saying directly: "Girls like interesting boys."

"What is an interesting boy?"

"You were very interesting when you were rehearsing just now," Li Ye guided patiently. "If you can make Bian Bian Jingjing laugh twice every day, your success rate will be twice as high as others.

Of course, this kind of thing depends on fate; it's very accidental. Even if you fail, there's nothing to regret; it's just something that can be met but not sought."

Sun Sun Xianjin was stunned for a moment, and his eyes looked different.

"Brother, I will definitely succeed, definitely."

Boys in their first love all have a kind of mindset, which is: "I've given you my heart, why don't you like me yet?"

Sun Sun Xianjin is no exception.

After entering the cafeteria, Li Ye separated from Sun Sun Xianjin. He likes to eat with Wen Watching Wen Leyu and doesn't like acquaintances sitting nearby to disturb them.

Besides, Sun Sun Xianjin didn't want to sit next to Li Ye either; he would be fed dog food if he wasn't careful, and he would be full before finishing his meal.

After starting to eat, Wen Watching Wen Leyu quickly picked the dishes she didn't like from her bowl and put them into Li Ye's bowl, while the things she liked in Li Ye's bowl naturally couldn't escape the flexible chopsticks in her hands.

While eating, the two chatted, and as they talked, they talked about the New Year's Eve party.

"Xiaoyu, are you going to perform a program on stage too?"

"Mm-hmm, our class's English chorus was selected, and I'm the accompanying guitarist."

Li Ye was surprised and asked: "You can play the guitar?"

Recently, Li Ye had encountered artistic youths playing guitars on the street and at school, but he really didn't know Wen Watching Wen Leyu could play the guitar.

"Who doesn't have a small specialty?" Wen Watching Wen Leyu nodded her little head twice and said: "A classmate of my mother's is from the Fangdong Song and Dance Troupe. When they were studying Western music in the early sixties, they studied the guitar.

I didn't learn it anymore after learning it for two years. My fingering is a bit rusty, but it's enough to accompany simple music."

Li Ye said happily: "Then you can teach me later; I want to learn the guitar."

"Okay," the little girl agreed very readily, but then said: "But you also have to teach me how to bayonet."

"."

Li Ye said quite reluctantly: "If you want to learn bayonet, why don't you learn from Uncle Wen? He is also a bayonet expert!"

"My mother won't let my father teach me, saying she's afraid I'll cause trouble," Wen Watching Wen Leyu pouted and said: "As a result, my father stopped teaching me. It made me so angry that I argued with my mother twice, but it was useless."

"Then I can't teach you either; I'm also afraid of your mother."

Li Ye wisely stated his position.

But Wen Watching Wen Leyu then squinted her eyes, revealing two small teeth.

"You're afraid of my mother, but you're not afraid of me?"

"."

Being influenced by what one sees and hears also has its drawbacks.

Wen Watching Wen Leyu was influenced by Teacher Ke to have elegance in her bones. Similarly, it seems she also inadvertently learned some bad things.

"I'm joking with you. I told you long ago not to be afraid of me. Your memory is really bad. If you are willing to teach, then teach; if you are not willing, can I force you?"

Wen Watching Wen Leyu changed her mood quickly, smiling and explaining a few words, as if she were very afraid that the sudden display of female power just now would affect her virtuous image in Li Ye's heart.

"I'll teach, I'll definitely teach you," Li Ye said dotingly: "But you have to be prepared! Practicing bayonet will grind calluses on your little hands."

Wen Watching Wen Leyu muttered happily: "Calluses are calluses; it's not like I haven't had them before."

Thanks to book friend hatsuneakina for the tip.

(End of Chapter)